‘Ghostbusters 3′ Dead? Bill Murray Officially Passes on the Sequel

If you still had any hope left for ‘Ghostbusters 3,’ feel free to casually discard it now: Bill Murray is officially, definitely no longer appearing in the film. It’s been a long and dramatic journey for this dying horse, but it’s safe to say maybe we should let it go with dignity now?

Not so fast — the film will go on without Murray.

It seems like Bill Murray exiting ‘Ghostbusters 3′ was the most inevitable and natural conclusion for the troubled project. After hiring ‘Office‘ writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, Murray was displeased with the script. Then came word that Murray had final script approval, and the quest for a script worthy of his comedic sensibilities continued. Dan Akyroyd recently hired Etan Cohen (‘Tropic Thunder’) to come up with a better script, but it seems like Murray is done anyway.

According to ComingSoon, Akyroyd recently spoke with Metro and gave an update on the project:

Is Ghostbusters 3 finally happening?

Yes, we’ve got a brilliant new writer on it and we’ll be passing the torch on to a new generation. We’re working on it to make it just right to satisfy our fans. I’m confident we’ll be in production in the next year.

It’s been a long process, hasn’t it?

Yes, but now we’ve got the studio on side. We’ve tried a few concepts which weren’t right but now we’ve got a good structure and will make it happen.

Is Bill Murray doing it?

No, I can tell you he won’t be involved.

How do you feel about that?

It’s sad but we’re passing it on to a new generation. Ghostbusters 3 can be a successful movie without Bill. My preference would be to have him involved but at this point he doesn’t seem to be coming and we have to move on. It’s time to make the third one.

And that’s that. They’re making the movie without Bill Murray and they’re pretty confident people will see it anyway because, hey, it’s ‘Ghostbusters,’ and nostalgia is your god now, and, well… money.

Akyroyd’s confidence that this can still be a great project is precious, but without Murray as Peter Venkman — who cares? This project has been kicking around so long it’s become a joke, and Murray jumping ship was probably the smartest move he could make. Save yourself, Bill! These fools are going down with or without you.